The task of accounting for the missing was left largely to outsiders.

NEWYORKER: Bring Up the Bodies

Speaking on CNN Friday morning, Labor Secretary Elaine Chao said the president had appointed a separate task force to review the accounting standards issues.

CNN: Bush: 401(k) proposals are about 'fairness'

Enron was allowed to do this because a task force of the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) could not decide how energy contracts should be accounted for, explains Douglas Carmichael, the Wollman distinguished professor of accounting at Baruch College.

FORBES: Enron The Incredible

In a statement to FORBES, SEC Enforcement Director Robert Khuzami argued that the task force was no longer needed because accounting expertise exists throughout the agency, and the number and severity of earnings restatements (a flag for possible accounting fraud) has declined dramatically since the mid-2000s.

FORBES: Is The SEC's Ponzi Crusade Enabling Companies To Cook The Books, Enron-Style?

The task has assumed more urgency since the Asian crisis, which drew attention to the perils of lax accounting.

ECONOMIST: Accounting